Category: Marketing
I’m sure this has happened to many of you before. You are sitting in a staff or board meeting, brainstorming ways to increase your visitor traffic, and someone says, “I know! We need to create a Facebook page and start Twittering!”
What these people do not understand is that Facebook and Twitter are merely tools – they are not a salvation for struggling organizations. They have a reputation as being “The Way” to interact with younger audiences. This is true – younger audiences are on Facebook and Twitter. But just creating a Facebook page and expecting younger audiences to come pouring through your doors is an error in thinking. (more…)
Well, it’s that time of year, when ghosts and goblins roam the streets. Thanks to hit television shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures, ghosts are enjoying extreme popularity these days. As Halloween nears, many historic sites and towns offer ghost tours. I took a ghost walk around Historic Annapolis last Saturday night, and my companion and I both felt it was a wonderful way to learn the history of that historic town. (more…)
In the March/April issue of Museum Magazine (available to members of AAM), the “In Museum” section features a short blurb on an upcoming exhibition at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NY. In order to determine the focus of their Fall 2010 exhibition, the Currier Museum conducted a survey of over 450 of their visitors. Most expressed interest in “the care and conservation of art, the process of acquiring works, and the context and influence of an artist.” These topics will be addressed in the Museum’s upcoming exhibit, “The Secret Life of Art.” (more…)
Along the same lines as the Baltimore Symphony’s “Opera-Singing-in-Whole-Foods” event, Johns Hopkins University also thought out of the box and used a playful and creativity strategy to mark April Fool’s Day. On April 1, the University updated its website with a story stating that they had decided to drop the “s” off of “Johns” in the name of the University. People who attend and work for the University know that many people drop the “s” in the pronunciation of the name, so the University took this fact and ran with it. (more…)
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) made news this week with a publicity stunt that involved members of the Washington Opera’s Young Artists Program breaking into song in the middle of WholeFoods produce aisle. The grocery store, located in HarborEast, became the stage for an impromptu performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata,” aimed at promoting the Symphony’s upcoming weekend engagements with the opera company. You can see the video of the event here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-STnVJlWf_o (more…)
The Key Catalog/Multichannel Issues survey conducted by VoviciEFM recently showed that 96% of respondents agreed that their print catalogs generated sales on their website. Many respondents saw a 20- to 50-percent increase in online sales immediately following a catalog mailing! (more…)
An addendum to my last post… Seth Godin’s criticism has sparked a lot of discussion at The Chronicle of Philanthropy and has reminded me of an important point I failed to make in my last post. When you are using social media, your primary goal really shouldn’t be how many “followers” or “friends” you have. Many non-profits have taken issue with Godin’s point that non-profits aren’t successful with social media because they aren’t in the Top 100 Twitter users. Most commenters agree – and I do too — that “Number of Followers” is a poor measure of success. Many of the top Twitter users are celebrities (Ashton Kutcher) and media outlets (CNN) that have a tremendous reach. Unless your non-profit is nationwide, you will never reach those numbers. (more…)
Wanted to share this great idea from the Maryland Zoo. Their fundraising event “Brew at the Zoo” is this weekend. They sent out a tweet today that said “To win Brew at the Zoo tickets for Saturday – retweet this message. At 4:30pm today we will announce a winner.” What a great way to encourage people to spread the word! In marketing lingo, this is known as “viral marketing.” I’ve seen it used a lot with email and on Facebook, but this is the most effective use I’ve seen on Twitter. And I’m proof that it works – I didn’t get the original tweet from the Zoo, but several of my friends retweeted it to me. And it got me excited, because the illusion was that “everyone else was doing it.” Try it to promote your next event – especially effective for museums with a local following.
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